Large-scale, network-based computing represents a paradigm shift from traditional client-server computing relationships. With large-scale, network-based computing platforms (e.g., data centers), customers are able to leverage shared resources on-demand by renting resources that are owned by third parties and that reside “in the cloud.” With these resources, customers of the platform are able to launch and maintain large applications without actually owning or servicing the underlying infrastructure necessary for these applications. As such, network-accessible computing platforms, often referred to as “cloud-computing platforms’ or “cloud-computing environments,” have expanded the class of individuals and companies able to effectively compete in the realm of computing applications.
Generally, customers of a network-based computing platform launch and maintain large applications within the network-based computing platform through the use of one or more virtualized machine instances (VMI). VMIs can be created by the network-based computing platform and many VMIs can be instantiated and controlled by a single-network based computing platform. The VMIs can be in continuous operation for a customer within the cloud, and thus, can be critical in operation to the customer such that failure of a VMI would have serious repercussions to the customer.
However, just like the software on actual computers, the software functionality in the VMI must be updated and maintained. Typically, this is accomplished by connecting to the VMI through a network, or other data transfer route, into the VMI such that the code, such as a patch or script, can be loaded into the VMI through the standard data intake mechanism and then executed to update the VMI. One problem arises however in that the VMI must devote resources for the data transfer operations, where such resources are also being allocated for typical usage in the operation of the VMI. Moreover, should a large number of VMIs need updating, the time frame for the update is delayed until the VMIs can allocate the resources to effect the code import and execute it. If the update is extremely urgent, then any delay in getting the instantiated VMIs updated could prove detrimental to the operation of the VMIs and harmful to the customers that use them.